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Event · Significance tier 3

June 12, 1775

Gage declares martial law and offers pardons

General Thomas Gage proclaimed martial law in Massachusetts and offered pardons to those who returned to allegiance, excluding Samuel Adams and John Hancock.

Category
imperial policy
Episode relations
1

Episode coverage

Episode 2

not covered · spoken: caption verified

Visual check: not checked

The film treats Bunker Hill and later royal declarations but the supplied captions do not identify Gage's June 12 martial-law and pardon proclamation. Visual treatment has not been checked.

Why it matters

The proclamation combined conciliation, punishment, and military government as rival authorities prepared for a major battle.

Why this tier

It clarified the British command’s diagnosis of rebellion and the limits of its proposed clemency.

Evidence trail

  • episode-2-srt-local
  • pbs-episode-2-guide

Return to this event in the timeline

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